Photo: Tommaso Boddi/Getty; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
Owens, who worked at the grocery store for 15 months, said he first took the job because he wanted “flexibility” in order to stay in the entertainment business. (He’s been acting, teaching and directing for more than 30 years.)
The actor — who was proudly wearing his Trader Joe’s name tag in the photos — said he was “really devastated” at first — until celebrities and fans alikejumped to his defenseon social media.
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“The initial thing was bad — the shaming,” he latertold PEOPLE. “But it lasted such a short time before the flood of support, the love rolled in. I don’t even remember what it felt like that day to feel bad, but I know what it’s felt like for the last two months to be offered work, to be offered auditions, to be approached on the street and told how much my story inspires people.”
“I chose to stop doing standup comedy and started driving an Uber so I could be there for my son as much as he needed after our life as we knew it was destroyed. Print that,” hetweeted,referring to his contentious divorce and ongoing custody battle with his estranged wife.
Brian Dunkleman/Twitter
“And I make over a grand on a good week motherf—ers. #HumanBarnacles,” Dunkleman added in a separatetweet.
The actor said he started the job in March 2016 and works about 45 hours a week, making about $800 a week, according to the documents.
Reps for Dunkleman did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
In 2016, Dunkleman made a surprise appearance during Fox’sAmericanIdolseries finale. (The series was then rebooted on ABC.)
Though he claimed he was he was never told why he wasn’t going to be asked to continue hosting, he accepted responsibility.
“I didn’t do a good enough job and I don’t think I handled myself as professionally as I needed to back then,” he said. “In retrospect, I really just didn’t have the wisdom I needed to handle what was going on. I like to say I was just young and stupid, but I really wasn’t that young. I was 30 years old.”
The next season ofAmerican Idolpremieres March 3 on ABC.
source: people.com
